The present invention is directed to bicycle brakes and, more particularly, to a bicycle hub brake that has a narrower width than conventional hub brakes.
The basic structure of a conventional bicycle hub brake, which is generally referred to as a roller brake, is shown in FIG. 8. As shown in FIG. 8, the hub axle 1 of the front or rear wheel of the bicycle is fixed to the frame F, and a cam 50 is swingably located about the hub axle 1. A plurality of inclined cam surfaces are provided on the outer peripheral surface of the cam member 50. A brake operating element in the form of a roller 60 (for example) is in contact with each cam surface, and a brake shoe 70 is provided radially outwardly of the roller 60. A rotatable operating arm 80 swings about the hub axle 1 and rotates the cam 50 so that the rollers 60 are pushed radially outwardly by the cam surfaces. As a result, the brake shoe 70 is displaced radially outwardly and comes in contact with a brake ring 110 that is fixed to the hub drum 2 and that integrally rotates with the hub drum 2, thereby applying braking force. As can be understood by an examination of the structure depicted in FIG. 8, the roller brake mechanism as a whole in conventional roller brakes must be attached axially in tandem to the side of the hub drum 2, resulting in the drawback of a wide brake/hub assembly.